Sunday, February 12, 2012

1958 Studebaker Commander

"Long known for value, the names Commander and Champion take on a new deluxe meaning this year. They are (as a pleasant fact) basically low-priced cars. Yet they offer a luxury which only Studebaker could provide and still maintain quality and safety from front grille to rear fins."

Amazing, how the tone of Studebaker's advertisement changed within a year, emphasizing on "basically low-priced cars" rather than on "a look of importance", like in 1957. The reason: by 1958, the Studebaker Packard Corporation was already in big financial trouble, and customers didn't buy into a glamorous image anymore. Packard was in an even bigger mess, now selling badge-engineered Studebakers as "luxury cars", but Studebaker's designers were on an equally short leash.

While the competition launched a sparklingfireworkoffancynewdesigns, Studebaker had to rely on the aging body which already served the 1953 lineup and which was shared with Packard since 1957. Restyled tailfins and new double-beam headlamps in strangely tacked-on fiberglass pods were the only updates that the tight budget would allow.

But, as sometimes difficult conditions lead to creative outbursts, this story has a rather happy end, as Studebaker, deliberately searching for a market proposition, had invented the "compact" Lark for 1959, which shared it's body with the big Studebakers. Presented amidst a sharp economic recession, these "compact" cars sold like crazy, and kept the ailing company afloat for a few more years.